Archive | Musings

Many years ago I lived in Central America . It was a time of civil war. People literally fought and died to win rights Americans took for granted. Fair elections. A functioning and impartial judicial system. Leaders that put the interests of their people above personal avarice. Freedom of expression without fear of government reprisal.

Today, as we bid farewell to an annus horribilis, I want to thank Donald Trump for reminding us of the value of those rights we have squandered for so many years. We neglectfully let them slip – long before Trump launched his campaign. Now, Trump’s assaults on the press, the justice system and our democratic norms have been so blatant, it is arousing the populace from its slumber.

One of the few bright spots of 2017 was the extraordinary level of civic engagement we witnessed. It began with the remarkable million-woman march on Washington. It has continued through sit-ins in the halls of Congress, mobilizations in special elections and an incredible outpouring of first-time candidates for political office. Americans have rediscovered that true democracy is more than a system of elections, it’s an ideal of civic participation.

Thank you, Donald, for the gift of revelation. May it spread far and wide.

Trump and his congressional majorities have shown all Americans – those who voted for them and those who did not – their true nature. Yes, some continue to discount what lies before their eyes. Yet every day the consequences become manifest and the blinders weigh more heavily. Actions speak louder than words.

The price of this gift is indeed dear. Anything of real value usually is. We can reckon the pain and suffering the rest of the year. Not today.

At the end of 2017, my thoughts go to Molly Ivins, my former boss and friend. Though she left us more than a decade ago, Molly has been on my mind often of late. We need her spirit more than ever.

For me, she gets the final word.

So keep fightin’ for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don’t you forget to have fun doin’ it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin’ ass and celebratin’ the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.

Secrecy World

Jake Bernstein was a senior reporter on the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) team that broke the Panama Papers story. In 2017, the project won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting and was a finalist in International Reporting. Bernstein earned his first Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting in 2011 for coverage of the financial crises.
He has written for The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Mother Jones, The Guardian, ProPublica, Vice and has appeared on the BBC, NBC, CNN, PBS, and NPR.

Pulitzer Prize Winning Series

The Wall Street Money Machine Enticed by profits and bonuses, Wall Street took advantage of complicated mortgage-based instruments to reap billions, only to exacerbate the eventual crash.

The Magnetar Trade: How One Hedge Fund Helped Keep the Bubble Going
The hedge fund Magnetar helped create mortgage-based securities, pushed for risky things to go inside them and then bet against the investments, resulting in billions in losses for investors and ultimately making the financial crisis worse. It’s a story of the perverse incentives and reckless behavior that characterized the last days of the boom. Read the story